Planes without delay. What to do if your flight is delayed

Has the airline canceled your flight? Delayed flight? Sold two tickets for one seat? Or did you miss your plane? The site site found answers to these and other questions

Buying a plane ticket and finding yourself a few hours later on the opposite end of the world map is easy if everything goes smoothly: the ticket is purchased, the flight is not delayed, there are no problems with control.

What if something went wrong? Website website I figured out what a passenger is supposed to do, and where it’s useless to argue with the system.

Not everyone is entitled to a hotel if their flight is delayed.

The Cabinet of Ministers is concerned about the comfort of passengers who are “stuck” at the airport. If the wait for departure is delayed due to the fault of the airline due to flight delays, cancellations due to weather conditions and technical reasons, then the carrier is obliged to organize a free hotel for passengers. But not for everyone, but only for those who wait more than eight hours during the day and six hours in the evening or are in transit with a 24-hour wait.

There is one more caveat: you can count on preferences only if you managed to pass the checkpoint across the state border. And if you are sitting close to the check-in counter, you will have to wait for your flight in the common room. Remember, sitting on the floor and lying on chairs at airports has recently been prohibited.
The hotels will be located in the free customs zone, that is, in the same place as the duty-free shops. This will be done after some time, but for now the comfort of passengers is fixed only in a government decree.

What can a passenger expect if their flight is delayed? Image: Victor Huseynov/KP

Airline flight delay

If your plane is delayed due to force majeure (the weather does not allow it or there is a technical malfunction of the plane), then you can count on pleasant bonuses from the airline that will brighten up the agonizing wait. For stays at the airport of two to five hours, you can expect free drinks and food (usually vouchers are awarded that can be exchanged at the airport cafe), two free phone calls or faxes and emails. If the wait is prolonged, then there are two options: either a free hotel room and transfer to it, or a refund for the ticket.
As a rule, the carrier is in no hurry to offer a refund and tries to fulfill its obligations.

Compensation for flight cancellation

If your flight is cancelled, the reasons why the flight was canceled and the length of notice given to you are key. Without going into details, if a flight is cancelled, the carrier is obliged to offer an alternative flight or return the full cost of the ticket and compensation: for a route up to 1.5 thousand km - 250 euros, up to 3.5 thousand km - 400 euros, over - 600 Euro.

But don’t rush to rejoice, there are so many subtleties in this part of the rules that it will not be so easy to achieve a real payment of money. So, there will be no compensation beyond the ticket if:

• • The plane does not fly due to bad weather, terrorist attack, riots and other force majeure conditions;
  • You were notified of cancellation 14 days in advance. It is believed that this is a convenient time and the passenger may well receive a refund for the ticket and buy another one;
  • They informed us 7-13 days in advance, but offered an alternative flight that could depart at almost the same time (2-4 hours difference between departure and arrival from the scheduled one);
  • The information reached you 7 days before departure, but an alternative flight is offered with a difference of 1 hour from the planned one;
  • If the replacement flight flies strictly according to the schedule of the canceled one;
  • In all other situations (and there are not many of them left), you can receive compensation. And not only for your ticket, but also for other tickets if the route was multiple.

The airline must compensate for the prolonged waiting time for the flight at the airport. Image: Maria LENZ/KP

Two tickets per seat

This unpleasant situation is called the beautiful word overbooking. Your place may be sold to one more person. Is this out of the ordinary and a wild coincidence for you? This is normal practice for the airline. Many carriers knowingly sell slightly more tickets than passengers. If we exclude those who return their tickets or do not show up for boarding, we get just the norm. But there are also unpleasant situations when everyone showed up, or in the case when the plane was replaced with a less spacious one.

The golden rule applies here: whoever is in front gets the chair. Complete electronic check-in for your flight as soon as it begins, or arrive at the airport when check-in counters open.

What can you count on in such situations:

• Get a seat in business class at the price of economy and vice versa;
• To an offer to fly on a later flight at the expense of the airline and for compensation;
• Compensation for damages ranges from 250 to 600 euros, but there are also a lot of tricks here. The final payments depend on the length of the flight, the conditions offered by the airline, etc.;
• For hotel, food and mobile communications, if you are still left behind.

And most importantly, if there are no volunteers who agree to fly on another flight, then the airline reserves the right to remove any passenger from the plane. For example, the one who came last to register.
If overbooking has burst into your life, then do not forget to put a note on your ticket at the check-in counter that you are not allowed on the plane due to the fault of the airline.

How to get a full ticket refund

Airlines are ready to refund the full cost of a ticket in rare cases and not for everyone. If you quarreled with a friend and don’t want to fly together, then this is not an argument at all. A boss who suddenly doesn’t give you leave is also not suitable for receiving the full cost of the ticket.

The carrier recognizes as significant:

• Death of a close relative (mother, father, child, spouse);
• Refusal to issue a visa (documented, of course);
• Emergency hospitalization (of course, confirmed by all medical records).

The second and third options will be relevant only for the traveler himself. If his companion also decides not to fly alone, then he will not have to count on full compensation. For him this is not a compelling reason at all.

How not to be left behind? Image: Alexander GLUZ/KP

Lost my plane ticket. How to restore?

The situation is unpleasant, but fixable. To save themselves and passengers from such misunderstandings, airlines are increasingly selling electronic plane tickets. With such a virtual ticket, you don’t have to worry about a paper document. It is enough to have a passport and remember the departure time.
If, nevertheless, you bought the usual paper ticket, then it makes sense to take care of its safety. It didn’t work out: don’t panic, although airlines are not obliged to reinstate tickets, they are accommodating to the passenger:

What to do if you miss your flight

If registration has completed and the plane has not yet taken off, then there is a chance to fix everything.

• Every airport has check-in counters for late passengers. You will be urgently added to the passenger list, escorted to the exit and brought on board in the best possible condition. This pleasure costs 2,000 rubles and more, depending on the airport.
• If the plane took off without you, you can try to get compensation for the ticket. For a business class document, you will not only get your money back, but will also be offered to fly on the next flight. If the fare is non-refundable (promo, economy - each airline has its own), then there is practically no chance of getting the money back. The carrier can only compensate you for the cost of the fare, without refunding all fees.
• If you purchased a round-trip ticket and you request a refund for only one part of the flight, the airline will cancel both travel documents. For the second the money will be returned to you, for the first it is in question.

Not allowed to leave the country for debts

Perhaps the most unpleasant situation that can happen to a traveler at the airport is a ban on leaving. They learn about it only at the border control stage. Bailiffs provide information about debtors to border guards.

What debts will be a restriction on leaving:

• 30,000 rubles (housing and communal services, fines, loans, taxes, etc.);
• 10,000 rubles (alimony, compensation for damage to health, moral damage, etc.).

It will not be possible to pay your obligations here and now. So far there is no such practice in Russia. It turns out that we need to prepare for such “surprises” in advance.
Restricting travel means that the bailiffs are serious about collecting the debt from you. Now your fate depends on the person who is leading your business.

• We run to the regional FSSP department, take payment slips and pay all debts.
• We bring back the payment document, given the Russian bureaucracy - this is relevant.
• We take a certificate that everything has been paid and wait 10 days for you to be deleted from the debtor database. A small correction: not only bailiffs, but also border guards.
• To ease our conscience, we check ourselves in the debtor database on the bailiffs’ website and write a request to the online reception of the border service asking them to confirm that you are now traveling abroad. It will take another 10-12 days for an official response.

Helpful advice: if you bought not just a plane ticket, but an entire tour, then be sure to take out travel insurance.

22 June 2017, 12:36

The peak of charter delays occurs in the summer, when masses of vacationers move to warmer climes. Sitting on suitcases at the airport is one of the nightmares of our tourists. PROturizm has collected a minimum of advice on how to correctly perceive this problem.

When the unpleasant message “flight delayed” appears on the board, the main thing is not to panic. It is always advisable to have a representative (of the airline or airport) come to meet you and explain what is happening.

Reasons for charter flight delays

There are various reasons for flight delays. Sometimes the data differs between the airport and the airline. To determine the exact reason, the courts make inquiries to weather and other airport services.

• Plane non-arrival
• Airplane breakdown
• Weather (meteo) conditions

If the flight is delayed for reasons beyond the airline's control, you will not be able to receive financial compensation. But in any case, the airline is obliged to provide you with certain amenities while waiting for your flight.

This is where the first difficulties arise - it is not profitable for airlines to confess, and passengers do not know their rights. So - the flag is in our hands, or rather FAP - federal aviation regulations.

Responsibilities of the airline in case of flight delay

The first thing the air carrier (or airport) must do is inform passengers about changes in the schedule and the reasons for the changes. This is stated in paragraph 92 of the FAP (Federal Aviation Regulations).

If the airline does not notify passengers and a representative cannot be found, you can complain about charter carriers to the Federal Air Transport Agency and tour operators. The first, since they are a higher organization above the airline. The second - as those who have concluded a contract for charter transportation, they are now responsible to passengers for the services provided.

What should you do if your charter flight is delayed?

If you intend to make a claim, obtain a certificate of flight delay (cancellation). The boarding pass must indicate (by hand) the current departure time and be stamped.

If you are not provided with mandatory services while waiting for a flight, buy them yourself, keep the receipts and submit the costs for reimbursement to your tour operator, and he will deal with the charter carrier. Please note that monetary compensation can only be obtained if the carrier’s fault for the flight delay is proven. In Russia, the amount of compensation for flight delays is determined at 25% of the minimum wage for each hour of delay, but not more than 50% of the ticket price.

Passenger rights in case of flight delay

According to paragraph 99 of the above air rules, if a flight is delayed, passengers with children under 7 years of age are required to provide a room for mother and child, and for the rest, organize luggage storage.

After two hours of waiting, air passengers are entitled to soft drinks and 2 phone calls or the opportunity to send two emails at the airline's expense.

So, if a flight is delayed, the airline is obliged to provide:

• after 2 hours - soft drinks and 2 telephone or email messages,
• after 4 hours - hot food, and then every 6 hours during the day (or 8 hours at night),
• every 6 hours at night (8 hours during the day) – free hotel accommodation (and transportation to and from it).

Unfortunately, for charters, rescheduling flights for up to 10 hours is acceptable. If the airline delays the flight for a longer period, the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights” comes into force. Such a flight delay is a significant change in the terms of the contract between the tourist and the tour operator. In case of “loss of a day” of rest, Rospotrebnadzor comes to the protection of the Consumer and compensation can be obtained.

What you need to know about charter flight delays

Different types of liability are shared between scheduled and charter flight carriers. In the latter case, the tour operator that chartered the plane is responsible for transportation, and not the carrier itself.

For any reason for a flight delay, the air carrier is obliged to provide the passenger with the opportunity to make a call, refreshments, hot meals, and hotel accommodation within a certain period of time.

The first thing you need to do is get a flight delay stamp from the check-in counter. Then, if you are not provided with the necessary “conveniences” in due time, you can, as a last resort, order them yourself and then present checks for payment to the airline or tour operator. Here the showdown can bring you to court, but often it doesn’t come to that, and the claims are considered by the guilty party in a pre-trial manner.

You can file a claim within six months from the date of the flight, and the airline (tour operator) must consider it within 30 days.

Consequences of flight delays

Since the beginning of the season, the tourism community has been solving problems with the postponement and cancellation of VIM-Avia flights. In the case of charters, responsibility for transporting vacationers to their vacation destination passes to the customer of the transportation, that is, the tour operator.

06.12.16 125 379 0

What to do if your flight is delayed or your luggage goes missing

Ivan and Masha are newlyweds. There is a honeymoon trip to Paris ahead.

This is their first flight and first trip abroad. In the wedding bustle, they managed to buy tickets, but did not read anything about how to behave at the airport. This is what came out of it.

Andrey Eres

goes on business trips every month

The flight was delayed

The flight was delayed in Moscow for 7 hours. During this time, Ivan and Masha bought 2 bottles of water from the vending machine and had dinner in a cafe. It cost 1800 RUR and they wasted that money. You could get everything from the airline.

If the crew did not have time to prepare the board or there was an error in the schedule, the flight was delayed due to the fault of the airline. For this, she compensates passengers for the inconvenience with money.

If a plane doesn't take off due to bad weather, it's not the airline's fault. In this case, there is no need to demand compensation.

To receive compensation, you need to confirm your flight delay. To do this, mark the delay with airline representatives or at the information desk. It is more convenient to do this at the airport of arrival: you will not have to check the box several times if the flight is delayed again.

If you wait for a long time, you are entitled to drinks, food and accommodation for the night. Check this with airline representatives. If you are denied service, draw up a free form protocol with other passengers. Buy what you need yourself and keep the receipts - then attach them to your claim.

If you decide not to fly due to a delay, the airline will refund your ticket. Russian - for any delay, European - for a delay of more than 5 hours.

The same rules apply for a canceled flight.

How to get money for a delay

After your trip, contact the airline and ask for compensation. We will tell you exactly how to do this and how much you are owed in a separate article.

You missed your connecting flight

Ivan and Masha planned the transfer themselves and bought tickets on different airlines. From Moscow to Berlin - “Es-7”, from Berlin to Paris - “Air Berlin”. Due to the delay, they missed their next flight. They had to buy new tickets for 160 € (12,276 RUR).

The entire route must be on one ticket, even if it consists of flights from different airlines. In this case, the airline is responsible for ensuring that the passenger reaches the end of the route. If you connected your flights yourself, the airline will not reimburse the cost of the ticket.

Buy all flights in one ticket

How to get a new ticket

At the transfer point, go to the counter of the airline that delayed the first flight. Explain what happened. The airline has entered into a contract of carriage with you, which means it must deliver you to the end of the route. Airline staff will transfer you to the next plane.

If you wait more than 2 hours for the next flight, the airline must give you something to drink, feed, and take you to a hotel. Passengers' rights are the same as in case of flight delay. If service is refused, draw up a protocol and collect receipts. Then you will demand compensation.

Ivan and Masha did not have to pay for new tickets.

Baggage was damaged or lost

In Paris, Ivan and Masha did not find one suitcase on the luggage belt. Luckily, the suitcase was intended for souvenirs and purchases, so it flew empty. The newlyweds were tired of the long flight and decided not to deal with the loss. We bought a new suitcase in Paris for 30 € (2301 RUR).

If your luggage has not arrived, go to the baggage tracing department - “Lost-n-found”. A specialist will draw up a report for lost luggage and check where it is.

If your luggage was not loaded onto the plane, it will arrive on the next flight. You can return for it yourself or leave your address, then the courier will deliver the luggage.

If luggage was sent to another airport or lost, the airline must find it and deliver it to the passenger. 21 days are allotted for the search. After this period, the baggage is considered lost and the airline must pay compensation for it.

If you arrived from abroad, fill out a declaration for missing luggage at customs. Give a copy to the airline representative. This is how the airline will deliver your luggage to your home. Otherwise - only to the airport of arrival in Russia, and upon receipt you will have to pay customs duty - 4 € (306 RUR) per kg.

How to get money for lost luggage

Notify airline representatives if essential items such as money, warm clothes, medicine or baby food are left in lost luggage. Usually the airline meets halfway and pays for the purchase of these items and transfer to the hotel. In some cases, they can give cash, but not more than $100 (6689 RUR).

To receive compensation, fill out an application on the airline's website. If there is no such form on the website, make a free-form claim and give it to an airline representative or send it by mail. Please include a lost baggage report, boarding pass and baggage tag with your claim.

For lost luggage, the Russian airline pays 600 rubles per 1 kg of luggage on domestic flights, and 20 $ (1337 RUR) on external flights. European - about 1200 € (92,070 RUR) per bag.

If the bag is damaged, the airline will pay for repairs or the cost of the bag. To do this, they will ask for a receipt from a workshop or store, so keep your receipts. Claims for damaged luggage must be submitted within seven days of arrival.

For lost luggage, Ivan and Masha could receive 1200 € - or 92070 RUR.

How insurance can help

Add the “Trip Cancellation” option to your insurance policy. Then the insurance company will compensate for the fine for returning a ticket, hotel reservation or burned-out voucher.

Some insurance companies will compensate for flight delay costs. Some return money for meals, telephone calls and hotels. Others pay for the delay time. For example, “Consent” pays 25 € (1918 RUR) for each hour after 6 hours of delay, but not more than 300 € (23 017 RUR). This insurance is more profitable: food and hotel will be provided to passengers by the airline.

Conditions for flight delay insurance on the Soglasiya website

For 7 hours of waiting, Ivan and Masha could receive 25 € - or 1918 RUR - from insurance.

The additional option “Insurance against lost luggage” will help compensate for the cost of a missing suitcase: the insurance company will pay a fixed amount for each kilogram or for the suitcase as a whole. Some insurance companies will cover expenses for essential items. For example, Tinkoff Insurance pays 40 € (3069 RUR) per kilogram of luggage and 50 € (3836 RUR) for emergency needs.

Sometimes insurance companies reduce the amount of compensation: they deduct the money paid to the tourist by the airline. Check the rules in the insurance contract.

For a lost bag weighing 5 kg, Ivan and Masha could receive 200 € from insurance - about 15,345 RUR.

Remember

1. Connecting flights must be on the same ticket.
2. If your flight is delayed, find out why.
3. After a two-hour delay, ask the airline when food and drinks will be available.
4. Keep receipts for food and hotel if the airline refuses assistance.
5. Check the flight delay box at your arrival airport.
6. File a report for lost luggage at the Lost and Found department.
7. Include additional options for flight delays and lost luggage in your insurance.

Unfortunately, not all trips go smoothly. Flight delays occupy a special place on the list of popular difficulties among travelers. This happens not only on charter routes, but also on regular ones. What to do if there is a flight delay, what are airline passengers entitled to? What free services and compensation should they expect?

Possible reasons for delays

There is no need to explain that the reasons can be very different. Sometimes these data may differ even between airline and airport employees. To establish the cause, the courts make inquiries to various airport services. So these could be:

1. Aircraft malfunctions.
2. Weather conditions.
3. Vessel delay, etc.

Are you trying to figure out what passengers are entitled to when their flight is delayed? When the flight is delayed due to circumstances beyond the airline's control, then it will not be possible to claim financial compensation. But it should provide certain conveniences during the waiting process.

This is where the first difficulties await travelers; not many of them understand their rights, for example, what passengers are entitled to if their flight is delayed by 3 hours, and what airlines themselves are not profitable to offer. Therefore, the flag is in your hands, or, more precisely, the FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations).

Obligations of the carrier in the event of a flight delay

The first thing the airport/carrier must do in the event of a delay is to inform travelers about the schedule amendments and the reasons for them.

If passengers do not receive information, and it is impossible to find a company agent, then the Federal Air Transport Service and tour operators should be notified about the situation. The former manage the airline, and the latter are responsible to travelers for the services provided, since they have entered into an agreement with the carrier.

Ticket return

If, due to the fact that your flight is behind schedule, you decide not to wait for the ship to depart, but to travel with another airline or go home, then you have accordingly decided to terminate the air carriage agreement. It is forced, therefore, you can count on compensation in the amount of 100%.

Such refusals also include:

1. Reorganization of the route by the carrier.
2. The flight is not on schedule.
3. Failed departure of a traveler due to the lack of a seat in the cabin corresponding to the date and flight indicated on the boarding ticket, due to a lengthy search by an airport employee, as a result of which no prohibited items and substances were found.
4. Sudden illness of a passenger or his close relative with confirmation of this fact by a medical certificate.
5. Failure to provide the traveler with a class of service corresponding to the purchased ticket.

In the event of a forced refusal, the airline puts a corresponding note on the ticket or issues a document explaining the circumstances of this refusal.

Travelers' rights when their flight is delayed

So, what do passengers have to do if their flight is delayed? Even if you don’t have to wait long, about 1 hour, you still shouldn’t leave the situation to chance. Immediately after receiving information about the delay, you should go to the reception desk and ask for detailed explanations. With such a slight delay, you are unlikely to receive an answer, since the employees themselves do not know what is going on, but the main purpose of the conversation is to put a stamp on the delay. It will become irrefutable evidence in subsequent proceedings.

The reasons for a delay may vary, but every traveler should have information about what passengers are entitled to in the event of a flight delay. The list of airline obligations includes:

1. Travelers with children under 7 years of age must be provided with a pass to the mother and child room.
2. Storage of luggage until departure.

Agree that it is much more convenient to wait for a rescheduled flight, freeing your hands from luggage, and settling in comfortable conditions with your children. The list of subsequent services included in the carrier's responsibilities depends on the duration of the delay.

Delay time

Depending on the waiting time, the passenger is provided with the following services:

1. So, what do passengers have to do if their flight is delayed by 2 hours or more? An air passenger has the right to demand from the company the opportunity to make 2 phone calls at his expense to any city in the world and send 2 SMS.
2. What else are entitled to passengers if their flight is delayed by 2 hours or more? The carrier must provide them with drinks of their choice in the required quantity.
3. Passengers are provided with a hot meal if their flight is delayed by 5 hours or more. After this, feeding is carried out every 6 hours during the day and 8 at night.
4. The flight was delayed for 6 hours, what do passengers have to do? After this time, all travelers must be provided with the following:

• Hotel room before departure. Rest room is provided after 8 hours of flight delay during the day, after 6 hours - at night.
• By car to the hotel and back.

Other compensation

All announced services must be provided to the passenger completely free of charge. There can be no justification in this case, since the air carrier must take care of passengers under all conditions. Well, if the flight was delayed due to the fault of the organization, then she will not be able to get away with a hot lunch and a hotel room. In addition to this, passengers are entitled to:

1. Cash payment in the amount of 3% of the ticket price, multiplied by the number of hours of delay.
2. Compensation in the amount of 0.25% of the minimum wage multiplied by the number of delayed departure hours.

In total, for a delayed flight, an air passenger will be able to return up to 50% of the ticket price (depending on the length of the wait). If the flight is never completed, then, without any doubt, the full price of the ticket will be refunded in addition to other compensation. All these amounts are valid on Russian territory; in EU countries the amount of payments is much higher. Depending on the departure time and distance, an air passenger who receives a flight cancellation message from the carrier less than 2 weeks in advance can expect compensation in the amount of 600 euros.

Important information

If a flight is delayed for 14 hours, what do passengers have to do? With such a long-term flight delay, you should not wait long for the airline to pay for food and hotel. You can do everything yourself, the main thing is to save all payment documents (receipts, checks, etc.), since all the funds spent will then be returned, but, however, this will be done through the court.

Don’t know what passengers are entitled to if their flight is delayed by 5 hours or more? What to do if docking was expected? There is no need to worry about transplants. If you had a connecting flight, the carrier will in any case have to provide a seat on another aircraft en route to your destination. You won't have to pay a penny extra for your ticket, even if you are placed in business class. But if you purchased a business class ticket, and there are empty seats in economy, then you must insist on a refund of the difference!

The flight delay time is calculated based on the data indicated on the boarding ticket. The carrier, at its own discretion, may provide additional services during the delay, but they do not cancel the mandatory ones.

What to do if your charter flight is delayed

If you are going to make a claim, you will definitely need a certificate of flight delay/cancellation. The boarding receipt must be handwritten and stamped with the current departure time.

If mandatory services are not provided while waiting for a flight, purchase them yourself, but be sure to keep all receipts. Upon arrival, present them to the tour operator, his task is to deal with the charter carrier and demand compensation.

What you need to know about charter flight delays

Scheduled and charter air carriers share different types of responsibilities. In the latter case, all responsibility lies with the tour operator who chartered the ship, and not with the carrier itself.

If there is a flight delay, what do passengers have to do? The law states that, regardless of the reasons for changing the schedule, the carrier is obliged to provide the passenger with the necessary services specified above within the established time limits.

The main thing you need to do is get a stamp at the check-in counter about the delay of your flight. If there is one, then you will be able to return your own funds that could have been spent due to the fact that the carrier did not provide the necessary services or did so in violation of the established time frame.

Disputes regarding reimbursement of funds may go to court, but most often this does not happen; all claims are considered pre-trial. You can submit an application for compensation within 6 months from the date of the flight; the carrier/tour operator is obliged to consider it within 30 days.

Compensation payments for flight delays on Russian territory

The obligations of air carriers and the rights of travelers regarding the issue of receiving compensation for changing the departure time of a ship of a Russian carrier or a foreign organization that delayed a flight in Russia are regulated by the Air Code of the Russian Federation.

To receive payment for changing your flight, you need to put a stamp at the check-in counter and also obtain a corresponding certificate from an airline representative. Claims are accepted within six months from the date of flight delay.

The claim statement must be accompanied by a stamped plane ticket and a certificate confirming this fact. In addition, if you paid for the services yourself, all payment documents must be attached (receipts for food, hotel, transportation, etc. during the delay). The claim must be sent by registered mail with an inventory by mail or delivered personally to the airline's agents. Be sure to make a copy of the letter for yourself. If the request will be delivered to the representative personally, do not forget to take a receipt from him. A response should be expected within a month from the date of sending.

If the flight is delayed by a European airline or within the EU

If the flight schedule of an airline registered in the EU or at an airport in EU countries has changed, then what do passengers have to do if the flight is delayed by 3 hours, for example? In this case, passengers are paid compensation, which can only be refused for several reasons:

1. Terrorist act.
2. Synoptic conditions.
3. Strike.
4. Sabotage.

Atmospheric conditions are considered a reason for refusal only if all flights originating from that airport have been delayed.

To receive compensation, you need to study the regulations, and if your situation fits the provisions described there, then you can safely write a statement of claim addressed to the air carrier. You send a letter and wait for a response. If the carrier refuses to provide compensation, you can send a letter to the consumer protection society of the country from which the flight took place. If there is a refusal there, then file a claim in the court of the same country.

The amount of payment will depend on the duration of the delay, as well as the distance between the departure and arrival airports.

Another way

The second way to receive compensation is to seek help from the Compensair organization, which completely takes care of all the paperwork for collecting payment from the air carrier, from filling out the initial application to pre-trial work with local consumer protection authorities in EU countries and court proceedings. By the way, you can check the possibility of receiving compensation for a specific delayed flight on their website completely free of charge.

The service only charges a fee for the work done if the result is positive. You don’t have to pay anything, Compensair will transfer the amount to you minus the commission, usually its size is 25%.

Hi all. Flight delays are quite common, especially recently. And, unfortunately, none of us are immune from it. According to statistics, up to 70% of flights in Russia are delayed. It may be delayed for various reasons: aircraft malfunction, bad weather conditions, delay on the previous flight, etc. How should passengers behave in such a situation? This is what we will talk about.

In this article:

Services that the airline is required to provide

Anyone experiencing a flight delay is entitled to certain services from the airline they are flying on. I don’t argue that sometimes they don’t behave very nicely and try in every possible way to avoid providing these services. This happens especially often in Russia. But you definitely need to know about your rights if you find yourself in such a situation.

1. Information

First of all, every passenger has the right to be provided with complete and most reliable information about the reasons for the delay or cancellation of the flight. Sometimes it happens that airline employees do not notify their passengers about the reasons and generally avoid contact with them in every possible way.

Why? Because if the flight was delayed due to the fault of the airline (and not due to weather conditions), each passenger has the right to demand monetary compensation for each hour of delay. But to do this, your ticket must have a mark that officially proves that there was a delay - I will tell you more about this below. Without this mark, you cannot count on any compensation.

2. Conditions for children

Waiting for a long time at the airport is quite painful, and even more so for a small child. This is why: a passenger with a child under seven years old is provided with a mother and child room. And this does not depend on the flight delay time. According to regulations, such rooms must be at every airport.

3. Luggage storage

In addition, the airline is obliged organize luggage storage in a storage room at your own expense, if necessary. So if you have too much luggage that you don’t want to spend time with, you can safely contact your airline’s staff.

All other compensation depends on the duration of the flight delay. So what are you entitled to under certain waiting times?

4. Communications and drinks

If your flight is delayed by more than 2 hours, you have the right to:

— make 2 phone calls or send 2 emails;

- get refreshments.

5. Hot meals

If your flight is delayed by more than 4 hours, you have the right to:

- get a hot meal. In addition, you have the right to receive it again every 6 hours during the day or 8 hours at night.

6. Hotel

If the delay is more than 6 hours at night and 8 hours during the day, you have the right to:

- get hotel accommodation. In addition, you should be transported to the hotel and back free of charge.

The above services are provided absolutely free of charge. They are established at the legislative level in a voluminous document entitled: “Order of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation dated June 28, 2007 No. 82, Moscow.” Therefore, do not be afraid to demand what is rightfully due to you.

How are services actually provided?

Sometimes it happens that passengers find themselves abandoned in the airport building. Employees avoid communicating with them, do not provide full information about the reasons for the flight delay, refuse to provide services and do not want to mark the flight delay on their tickets. Here, the passengers themselves have to take the initiative and try to find contact with airline representatives.

In addition, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that you should not expect much from everything free, especially in Russia. And we have seen this from our own experience.

When our flight to Sheremetyevo was delayed for 3 hours, we were told that we could go to the designated place and receive vouchers for soft drinks. When receiving coupons, we specifically clarified what drinks we could count on. We were assured that this list includes juices, sodas and just water. It sounded quite promising until we were given a choice: water with or without sparkling water.

I don’t know how things are with the provision of hot meals at Russian airports. But if the situation is similar, then I think that you can easily remain hungry. In contrast, in Frankfurt airport we were given coupons with a face value of 20 euros each. For this amount, even at the airport you can eat several times together.

But I'm not saying that airlines always don't want to take care of their customers. And if your flight is delayed, you will have to get what you are entitled to by law. I don't want to make anyone aggressive. Many airlines care about their customers and do everything they can to help. When our flight was delayed in Frankfurt, they not only provided us with food, but also took care of boarding us on another connecting flight. Since we didn’t catch our flight in time.

That evening, so that we would not have to spend the night at Pulkovo airport, the next flight was delayed by an hour. In addition, during the transfer, a company man met us, helped us quickly get our luggage, and put us in a minibus waiting for us to the other terminal. And when checking in for the flight, we were skipped in line. Therefore, I say a big thank you to Russia Airlines for taking care of delivery home so quickly.

Naturally, if the next flight was with another airline, we would not have been provided with such prompt assistance. And if you were late for the next flight, the Russian airline would not bear any responsibility. Therefore, if you are flying with a transfer, it is better to fly with the same airline.

Cash compensation

If weather conditions have nothing to do with it, and the flight was delayed due to the fault of the airline, then you have every right to receive monetary compensation. Its size will depend on the flight delay time. In order to receive it, you need to have a mark (stamp with signatures) on your ticket about the flight delay; ask for it from an employee of your airline. Then, upon returning home, you need to write a claim to the airline. You can watch a short video where I show how to find contacts for filing claims.

You can download a sample claim here: https://yadi.sk/d/lmE24XiZa2xAG .

If an airline refuses to take care of its customers and provide the services they are entitled to by law, be sure to keep all receipts and receipts for payment for hotel and meals.

It is better to send the claim and copies of all receipts by registered mail with notification, then you will have confirmation in your hands that the air carrier has received your claim. Then he definitely won’t get away with it, he will have to answer it. If there is no reaction, you can safely go to court: all the evidence will be in your hands.

If a flight is delayed, passengers who have purchased a ticket have plenty of rights: obtaining information, comfortable conditions, food, hotels and compensation. Don’t forget about them, be sure to use them, and your flight delay will be as comfortable as possible. Be sure to read What to do if your luggage is lost? And that’s all for me, bye everyone!